Extraction of Essential Oil from Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) by using Ionic Liquid Solution (Acetic acid and Glucose Solution)

Abstract

Essential oils fall among the volatile class of plant bioactive compounds and progressively used in food, fragrance, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. A great deal of research has been devoted to the extraction of essential oils from plant sources for extraction of important compounds. The present research deals with extraction of essential oil from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) by using ionic liquids solution. Piper nigrum L. was collected from local market of Lahore, ground to fine powder and processed via hydro distillation using Clevenger tube. Extraction yield was optimized by changing process parameters including incubation time, ionic liquid composition, quantity of acetic acid (ml) and glucose conc. (ml) and liquid to solid (L/S) ratio. The influence of process variables was investigated, tested and optimized using response surface methodology using Design Expert 7.0.0 software. The maximum yield was noted 2.56 % corresponding to conditions: acetic acid 25-35ml, glucose 65-75ml, incubation time of 4-5h and L/S ratio of 5-6. The study concluded that yield of essential oil can significantly be increased by using ionic liquids solution at low temperature.